The controversy over the ban applied to Palestine Action deepened on Monday, with police warning of mass detentions if a demonstration goes ahead this weekend that could see more than 1,000 people carrying placards and posters expressing support for the group.
The Metropolitan police made clear it would arrest anyone breaking terrorism laws, as Downing Street urged people not to attend any protest.
But in a further challenge to the decision to proscribe Palestine Action, 300 left-leaning Jewish figures including the director Mike Leigh and author Michael Rosen will tell the prime minister in a letter on Tuesday that the ban was “illegitimate and unethical”.
Campaigners from the pressure group Defend Our Juries plan to descend upon Westminster in central London on Saturday carrying placards and posters expressing support for the group.
They are protesting against Yvette Cooper’s decision to ban the organisation last month after activists caused an estimated £7m of damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton.
Defend Our Juries is asking those taking part to hold up signs saying “I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action”. More than 200 people have already been arrested in response to the proscription last month.
A Met police spokesperson said the organisers of Saturday’s planned protest are attempting to put the overcrowded criminal justice system under further pressure.
“We are aware that the organisers of Saturday’s planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system,” they said.
“The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.”
Starmer’s official spokesperson urged people not to attend. “Any action that is in support of a proscribed group in the UK, of course we do not support and the court has confirmed their continued proscription status,” they said.
“The home secretary previously said that those who seek to support this group may yet not know the true nature of this organisation, but people should be under no illusion this is not a peaceful or non-violent protest group.”
Sadiq Khan, who was vocal in urging Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state, declined to weigh in. A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: “The policing of Saturday’s planned protest by Defend Our Juries is an operational decision for the Metropolitan police.”
On Tuesday, a delegation organised by Jewish Voice for Labour will deliver a letter signed by 300 Jewish figures to No 10 and Cooper urging a lifting of the ban on the group.
Also signed by the human rights lawyer Geoffrey Bindman KC and the playwright Gillian Slovo, it will express “horror” at the actions of Israel.
The letter will say: “We consider the proscription of Palestine Action to be illegitimate and unethical. It is time to end the government’s hand-wringing over the level of slaughter and suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, mixed with tacit support to the Israeli state.
The Met is sceptical of claims that thousands of people could turn up on Saturday. The force believes that a total in the low hundreds is more likely. Anyone arrested risks a terrorism conviction.
At other events that led to mass arrests, the Met has arrested people, confirmed their identities and home addresses, and then quickly released them on bail so they could be dealt with later.
Police resources will be stretched at the weekend as a large, separate pro-Palestinian march is also scheduled for Saturday and anti-immigration protests are expected.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries denied any plot to overwhelm the police and the courts system, as reported in the Telegraph on Monday.
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The campaign was not organised by Palestine Action, the spokesperson said, adding that a briefing document was available openly on the Defend Our Juries website.
“It’s great the Telegraph is helping us to spread the word but there are serious inaccuracies in their story. We are not the ones planning to ‘overwhelm’ the system,” they said. “If the Met exercises common sense and discretion and upholds its obligation to uphold the right of people to exercise their rights then nothing is being overwhelmed.
“It is a difficult position for Sir Mark Rowley [the Metropolitan police commissioner] to be in. Based on what has happened on previous occasions it would be surprising if no one is arrested but on the other [hand] everyone is going to be doing the same thing and it will be a challenge to arrest more than 500 people given that we think there are about 520 available police cells in London at any one time.”
They believed Rowley would be factoring in last week’s high court ruling giving permission to the co-founder of Palestine Action to bring a legal challenge to the home secretary’s decision to ban the group.
Other forces exercised discretion not to arrest people at similar protests in Derry, Edinburgh and elsewhere, they added.
The protests would take place regularly in future, they said, adding that it was becoming “a badge of honour” to be arrested.
Defend Our Juries has held discussions with MPs about taking part but there was a reluctance on the basis of concerns it could lead to suspension from parliament.
About 40 pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the Labour party headquarters on Monday evening.
Campaigners held Palestine flags and chanted “Shame on Keir Starmer, shame on the Labour party, shame on David Lammy” while banging steel pot lids outside the office in Southwark, London.
One sign displayed by the group read “We support the legal application to de-proscribe Palestine Action. Fight racism. Fight imperialism.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The criminal justice system will always be ready to deal with sudden surges coming through the courts.”
The Home Office did not respond to questions about the planned protest.
